Cycling infrastructure needs to improve before London bike hire scheme

If Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s London bike hire scheme – due to launch in 2010 – is to be a success, there needs to be a Zone One ‘Bike Grid”, according to the London Cycling Campaign (LCC).

LCC’s suggestion is a less than subtle reminder that beneath Transport for London’s pro-cycling rhetoric too little quality engineering has been done to improve cycling conditions meaning the roads generally remain a free-for-all with motor traffic and cyclists competing for space.

The campaigners are calling for a network of safe, unbroken, high-quality cycle routes running north-south and east-west, with one complete central ring.

LCC have welcomed the news that money is to be spent on improving the road infrastructure in Zone One, but say it is not enough, that the project “lacks strategic direction”.

“If you wanted to complete a central London BikeGrid would you ask nine boroughs to pitch in their unrelated priorities? No, you’d set up a strategic framework to oversee the improvements?” Koy Thomson, LCC Chief Executive, said.

He added: “To have the cycle hire experience fall so far short of expectation because of the poor quality of London’s cycling infrastructure would be a disaster.”

He also points out that the system will not compatible with Oyster cards one of the mayor’s original objectives. ”This has been dropped to speed up implementation. The Cycle Hire scheme should be fully integrated with all other public transport, giving travellers easy choice between different modes.”

LCC have a proud history of improving conditions for London cyclists. It was LCC who got Londoners on their bikes to combat the congestion charge when it was first introduced, and it was LCC who created marshaled rides for novices on the back of the summer tube strike.

Thomson said, “Many of these measures would also benefit pedestrians. LCC has presented a full analysis with detailed street treatments and routes to Transport for London.

LCC say assign responsibility within Transport for London for delivery of the BikeGrid and give them a budget.

Build on the collaborative working between TfL, London Councils, and cycling groups to ensure a strategic and coordinated approach to the BikeGrid.

“Make this all happen and you won’t be able to keep Londoners off the hire bikes,” he said.

Paul Gannon

LCC’s point is very good one, however it seems to have overlooked the central role played by high-quality, continental-style cycle tracks in attracting high cycling levels. It is no coincidence that where you have a high provision of high-qualty cycle networks you also have many, many more cyclists and, critically, many more women and older cyclists. Forcing people to cycle on the roads, mixing it with motro traffic is the problem that has to be overcome. We can see this even in the UK with the cycle tracks in Camden which have attraced many new users and a very high level of support from them (despite a few problems from the poor implementation).